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Cahoots

A late night speak easy in the style of a 1940’s post war underground station.

Inspired by true events in 1940’s post war Britain, Cahoots see’s a former basement venue transformed into a replica London Underground tube station. The first challenge on this double layer project was to build the underground station complete with replica train carriage before then dressing the venue to recreate how these speakeasy’s were furnished using furniture from the home in a show of post war resourcefulness.

Case Study: Cahoots

As with most styled bars the element of ‘story telling’ is key and in true post war style, authentic tiles and vintage furniture was curated and adapted showing how these spaces were transformed when party goers claimed the space adding personal household furniture and ‘items found’ to create makeshift cocktail bars and a space fit for a morale boosting sing-along.

Cahoots was an immersive design project that aims to recreate the feeling of descending into a dark underground station and the confusion and element of surprise in trying to find such an illicit space. Visitors enter down an authentic escalator styled staircase complete with rubber hand rail down to the ticket inspector at underground level before reaching a dramatic tiled platform bar.

Transforming this former basement venue into an authentic post war underground station was one of the most exciting elements to the Cahoots project. Extensive research at the London transport museum meant that we could recreate authentic replicas of the most important elements within the design such as an entire train carriage built at our London workshops and upholstered in originally designed fabrics from the 40’s.

So whilst opulent chandeliers are suspended over the polished bar top, the bar itself was made up from reclaimed furniture and luggage with bunk beds adapted to seating and upholstered in original woollen fabrics reminiscent of the famous ‘Witney’ blankets used during the war. The floors were laid with resin to re create traditional paved platform edges complete with warning signs such as ‘mind the gap’ and traditional union jack bunting adorns the walls.

On one side guests sit in an authentic tube carriage whilst on the other side vintage props and reclaimed bunk beds have been adapted into seating.